Ahead of the Celtics-Heat playoff series, Boston Celtics veteran Larry Bird recently got back together with a number of his teammates from the 1986 championship.

With a 64-18 record that led the league, Boston’s stellar season has the squad ready for a strong postseason push. Celtics supporters are feeling optimistic as the Miami Heat begin their first-round matchup without Jimmy Butler.

While the Eastern and Western Conference play-in tournaments were taking place, the squad had some time off to recuperate. The Heat may also be in peril because Butler is anticipated to miss the entire series.

Three-time NBA champion Larry Bird has traveled to Boston in advance of Sunday afternoon’s Game 1 of the first-round series. Bird has a meet-and-greet with Kevin McHale and Robert Parish, two of his 1986 championship teammates.

Cedric Maxwell, who won championships with the club in 1981 and 1984, also joined them. Based on the response Boston Celtics supporters have given on social media and the number of fans that attended the event, it is evident that excitement is rising and confidence is at an all-time high in the run-up to the 2024 Playoffs.Examining the Boston Celtics’ path to an NBA championshipBoston had the best record in the NBA this season, as was already noted. The club is the betting favorite to win the Larry O’Brien Trophy as a result.

The Boston Celtics have kept making waves in the NBA while the Denver Nuggets are itching to win the league twice in a row. The team is aware that they will have a challenging opponent in the Miami Heat, who will be without Jimmy Butler, going into the postseason.

In addition, Boston won all three of their regular-season meetings against the Heat, completing an impressive sweep. Things may get intriguing in the second round, even though Boston isn’t looking beyond the Heat.If Boston wins over the Heat, they would advance to the conference semifinals to face either the Orlando Magic or the Cleveland Cavaliers. Boston had a 2-1 record against the Cavaliers in the regular season, winning two of their three meetings in December before losing the last one in March.

In a similar vein, Boston’s record versus the Magic this season is 2-1; they lost their first meeting in November but bounced back to win two straight in December. Boston would probably be the favorites when playing either club in the conference semifinals because of their positive record against both.

The Milwaukee Bucks or the New York Knicks could be the opponents the Celtics face in the Conference Finals. During the regular season, Boston went 2-2 against the Bucks and 4-1 against the Knicks, splitting the results.

Boston also finished the regular season with a 3-1 record against the 76ers and a 3-2 record against Indiana. It is hardly surprising that Boston is favored to win the East given their dominance throughout the season and their strong record against other Eastern Conference clubs.